Second Thoughts #4

With my second novel coming out in October (and it being titled, Second Skin), I've been thinking a lot about how authors tackle their second book. In efforts to stymie my own jitters, I've asked author buddies to offer their insights. I'm collecting responses and will share them with you as I get'm. So, here goes my forth, Second Thoughts, featuring YA author Janette Rallison.

Here's Janette's bio from her website:

"Janette lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, five children and enough cats to classify her as "an eccentric cat lady." She did not do this on purpose. (The cats, that is; she had the children on purpose.) Every single one of the felines showed up on its own and refuses to leave. Not even the family's fearless little Westie dog can drive them off.

Since Janette has five children and deadlines to write books, she doesn't have much time left over for hobbies. But since this is the internet and you can't actually check up to see if anything on this site is true, let's just say she enjoys dancing, scuba diving, horse back riding and long talks with Orlando Bloom. (Well, I never said he answers back.)"

Did you start on the second novel directly after completing the first? And if there was some time between novels – was it difficult to settle back into the voice?

Thus far all of my second books are companion books rather than true sequels.  In My Unfair Godmother readers will see the same slightly incompetent fairy godmother, Chrysanthemum Everstar, and her slacker assistant, leprechaun Clover Bloomsbottle, but these two have a different victim . . . I mean, damsel in distress to take care of.  Really, when you come down to it, I had to have a different heroine for the story because Savannah, the heroine of My Fair Godmother, never would have taken more wishes from a fairy.  She'd wised up by the end of the book.

Writing a second book to the series was a lot harder than I'd first thought it would be—so no, I didn't start writing the second book until more than a year later. (I had other manuscripts to keep me busy.) I set the bar pretty high with My Fair Godmother and I didn't want to disappoint fans.  I needed to come up with a story that had adventure, romance, humor, mystery, magic, social commentary, a fractured fairy tale, and a twist ending.  Plus I needed it to be enough like the first book that fans felt that it was the same type of book, but not so similar that it was predictable.

Finally, I came up with a plot that would work.  So far reviews have been good—which is huge relief.

How are your marketing efforts different with this second novel? Is it easier now that you have a fan base, or do you feel pressure to up the anti?

Yes to both those questions.  It's great that fans have been eagerly waiting a second book, but it's also a lot of pressure too.  I'm already worried about coming up with a storyline for the third book in the series.

If your novels are geared toward different audiences – do you find readers disappointed that you haven't stuck with one genre?

I started out writing realistic romantic comedy.  (Well, as realistic as romantic comedy ever is . . .)  I did worry that fans wouldn't like the fantasy element in my new books, but so far the response has been positive.

Cover love: how much input did you have with your covers? More with the second? Love them? Or wish they were something more?

I have basically zero input on my covers, which is sometimes frustrating—but worked out okay with these books. They really do have great covers.  The funny thing was that I originally didn't have a golden apple anywhere in My Unfair Godmother, but when I got a picture of the cover, there was the fairy not only holding a golden apple, but looking at it so that it becomes the focal point of the cover.  What else could I do?  I went back to the story and put in a golden apple.  So, note to students:  If your English teacher asks you what the golden apple symbolizes, you can answer that it symbolizes the fact that the marketing department doesn't read the books before making covers.

If you could go back in time and give the newbie author you one writing tip – what would it be?

Get a marketing degree.  You'll need it.  And that computer class you thought you would never use—take it.  Websites are lurking in your future.

Many authors experience shifts in their writing world before their second book is published. Some find new agents, get an agent if they didn't have one before, or even seek out new publishers. Have you had any such dramas?

Yep—right before I wrote My Unfair Godmother I left my agent.  (After ten books together.) When you first start out in this business, you're so excited to have an agent that it's easy to jump at the first one that offers representation.  That isn't always a good decision.  It took me awhile to realize that.

What's next for you – any WIPs?

I have a dragon book coming out in the fall and two more books in the works.

Can you share an excerpt of the 2 nd book? Link to booktrailer?

This is a few pages from My Unfair Godmother.  After a bad night where Tansy was mistakenly hauled down to the police station and treated like riff-raff, she's given a fairy godmother—or at least a fairy godmother in training.  This is from the scene where Chrissy first offers Tansy three wishes:

Chrissy put the scroll into her purse.  "All right then, on to your first wish.  What will make you happy?"

The way she phrased the question made me stop and think.  I had been about to wish for a huge bank account—enough money to not only keep the library open but to name it in my honor.  Would that make me happy though?  It wouldn't change being an outcast at school Monday morning.  It wouldn't change my father's disappointment.  I'm not sure what money would change, except instead of moving in with Grandma, I could stay here and live with people who thought of me as a snitch or a criminal.

I sat down on my bed.  "I'm not sure . . ."

Chrissy glanced at her watch again.  "Wealth is always a popular wish."

I picked at my pillowcase dejectedly.  "Money won't buy me friends."

"If you wish for enough, it will," Chrissy said brightly.  "People like to say they can't be bought, but they really can."

It sounded sort of horrifying when she put it like that.  I didn't want friends who were only interested in me because I was rich.

I shook my head.

"Revenge then?  You can wish to change city hall and the police station into toadstools."

I laughed at the image that presented.  I could see Officer Frisk-meister, a half-eaten donut in one hand, staring around with a baffled expression at what used to be the police station.  Better yet, I could see Mr. Handsome Undercover Cop trying to figure out who'd stolen the building.

Unfortunately, if I zapped away the police station and city hall, it would mean the mayor would have to take money from somewhere else to rebuild the buildings.  Maybe they would close more programs.

"I could change a few police officers into ravens," Chrissy chimed.  "Then they could be jail birds."

Clover looked at the ceiling.  "As if the world doesn't have enough birds with enormous egos."

Chrissy waved a dismissive hand at him, but I didn't want to hurt anybody.  And with that realization, thoughts of revenge fizzled in my mind.  So how did I fix things?  "The problem is we have a mayor who doesn't care what we want.  How do we fight the system?" As I looked around my room, my eyes rested on my bookshelf.  I had a copy of The Adventures of Robin Hood sitting there, nestled among a few other novels Dad had put in my room when I moved in.  He had given me that one because it had been a favorite of mine when I was little.  I had always loved the way Robin Hood stood up to the Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John to help the oppressed people.

I was only thinking out loud, trying to figure out a solution to my unhappiness.  I spoke so quietly Chrissy shouldn't have been able to hear it.  "I wish Robin Hood were around today.  He would know what to do."

"Good choice," Chrissy said.  "He's totally hot."  She swept her wand in my direction and a flurry of sparkles surrounded me, hundreds of tiny lights zinging everywhere.

"Wait!" I sputtered.

"Oh, don't worry," she called, her voice sounding far away.  "I wouldn't let you meet him looking like that.  I'll throw in a free makeover."

When the light cleared, she and Clover were gone.  But there in my bedroom, stood a dozen scraggly looking men.

Thanks for the wonderful interview, Janette! Find out more about Janette on her website/blog:

http://www.janetterallison.com/

http://janette-rallison.blogspot.com/

And here's the wicked cool trailer for My Unfair Godmother: